A large dinosaur

Oliver Hemsley, chief executive of broker Numis, is nothing if not ambitious.

At a party last week at the Natural History Museum in London, Hemsley told 300 guests that he was not content with growing from seven staff in 2000 to more than 120: "We want to become one of the great broking names in the City of London, in the same league as the likes of Cazenove, Hoare Govett and Warburgâ¦"